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Author: Margaret Rogerson
Pages: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's UK
Release Date: 5th October 2021
Blurb from Goodreads:
From the New York Times bestselling author of
Sorcery of Thorns and An Enchantment
of Ravens comes a thrilling new YA fantasy about a teen
girl with mythic abilities who must defend her world against restless
spirits of the dead.
The dead of Loraille do not rest.
Artemisia is training to be a Gray Sister, a nun who
cleanses the bodies of the deceased so that their souls can pass on;
otherwise, they will rise as twisted spirits with a ravenous hunger
for the living. She’d rather deal with the dead than the living,
who point and whisper about the odd girl who was once possessed by a
violent spirit.
When her convent is attacked by possessed
soldiers, Artemisia fights back by awakening an ancient spirit bound
to a high saint’s relic. It is a revenant, a malevolent being now
whispering in her head. Wielding its extraordinary power almost
consumes her in body and soul. But death has come to Loraille, and
only a vespertine, a priestess trained to wield a high relic, has a
chance of stopping it. Yet the age of vespertines has passed, their
knowledge and training lost with time.
As Artemisia
investigates a mystery of saints, secrets, and dark magic, an ancient
evil is stirring. Can an untrained girl, tormented by the burden of
containing the revenant’s devouring power, have any hope of
defeating it?
Artemisia lives in a convent in the land of Loraille, where the bodies of the deceased must be cleansed to prevent their spirits from rising and causing destruction.
Artemisia is happy to train to be a Gray Sister and work with the dead, especially as the other girls at the convent treat Artemisia differently because she was possessed by a horrible spirit as a child.
Everything changes when the convent is attacked and Artemisia ends up sharing her body with a revenant - a highly powerful and dangerous spirit bound to an ancient relic.
Artemisia is able to hear the revenant in her head despite lacking the knowledge of the long dead vespertines - high priestesses with the training to use high relics bound with powerful spirits. Artemisia will need to use all her strength to prevent the revenant from taking control of her body, but even that may not be enough.
A darkness is falling over Loraille. Can Artemisia stop it before it's too late?
Can she control the revenant, and even work together with it to save her land?
Having loved the author's last novel, I was looking forward to reading this new book.
Artemisia was a likeable and relatable protagonist. Her childhood wasn't easy and she struggled in some situations, which was very understandable, but she was determined to help others.
I liked a lot of the supporting characters, and enjoyed reading Artemisia's interactions with them, especially the revenant, who was possibly my favourite character.
The different spirits and the Old Magic were interesting, as was the setting.
The plot was interesting and held my attention, but I wasn't gripped. However, I didn't guess anything that happened and was kept wondering what would happen.
The writing style was easy to follow and I would happily read another book by the author.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read that I would recommend.
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